Guidelines for donations by Stanford departments and labs in support of the fight against COVID-19

Many members of the Stanford community have stepped up in remarkable ways to help during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we thank you. As you continue to think about ways to help, we want to remind the community of the following requirements to follow prior to donating personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies:

Donations of PPE and supplies in department or lab inventory are permitted only with the permission of the head of the department or lab in order to ensure that these materials will not later be needed by the department or lab.

Donations of materials purchased using funds received from external project sponsors may only be made after receiving confirmation from the appropriate research administration office that the sponsored award permits donations of materials purchased with project funds. All projects administered by the School of Medicine’s Research Management Group will submit the form for confirmation and signature to Kathleen Thompson (klt@stanford.edu). All other projects will submit the form for confirmation and signature to Michiko Pane (michiko@stanford.edu) in the Office of Research Administration. 

Donations of materials produced using department or lab resources, including 3D printers, may not be made without approval by Susan Weinstein, Assistant Vice President for Business Development (slw@stanford.edu). Production of hand sanitizer is specifically prohibited.

Donations must be initially offered to Stanford Healthcare, Stanford Children’s Health or Stanford University. If neither the hospitals nor the university needs the items, a department or lab may propose to donate them outside of the university with approval by Susan Weinstein. Please provide the information requested in #4 below so the request can be evaluated.

Donations must be documented on the Donations Tracking Form. No donations may be made until the Donations Tracking Form is fully completed (including signatures indicating approval by the head of the department or lab, and signatures of ORA or RMB, as appropriate).

The following information is required by the Donations Tracking Form:   

• Name of the lab donating the items.
• Name of the organization receiving the items.
• The date of the donation.
• An itemized list of the items being donated and their values.
• The funding source for the items being donated.
• The purpose for the donation. This purpose should include reference to COVID-19. 
• Signature of the person asking to make the donation, and the date signed.
• Signature of the head of the department or the PI with responsibility for funds used to purchase the items authorizing the donation, and date signed.
• Signature of ORA or RMG, as appropriate, confirming that donation of the materials are permitted under the sponsored award, and date signed.

The Donations Tracking Form may be completed electronically by downloading a copy and providing the requested information and signatures.  Copies of the completed form, including all signatures, should be retained in department or lab files, and sent electronically to the Controller’s Office: Karen Cordeiro, Controller, at kcordeiro@stanford.edu.”

If you have any questions, please contact Susan Weinstein at slw@stanford.edu.

Additional applicable policies:  (i) Administrative Guide 1.5.3: Unrelated Business Activity and (ii) Administrative Guide 3.1.6: Charitable Donations by Stanford University to Other Charitable Organizations.